The deadline for the withdrawal of Ukrainian soldiers from Crimea is passing, and the interim government has signed an agreement with the European Union, an agreement ripe with symbolism as this fulfills the wishes of the protesters that started this revolution in the first place. Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and […]
Today we’re launching a new column, “Watching Russia,” focusing on Russian television propaganda and distortion, especially as pushed through the English-language news outlets like RT (formerly Russia Today) and Voice of Russia. Manuel Ochsenreiter is not a household name either in the United States or in his native Germany. He’s the editor of “Zuerst! German News Magazine” […]
Staunton, March 21 – Yana Amelina, a well-connected Russian analyst, says that Moscow’s annexation of Crimea is “a precedent for South Ossetia and the entire post-Soviet space,” the most expansive Russian interpretation yet of what Putin intends and an indication that the breakaway republic in Georgia is now in the Kremlin’s crosshairs. In two articles […]
Staunton, March 21 – Despite the patriotic fervor in Russia, much of it state-sponsored and likely to dissipate quickly, over the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea, many Russians including those who identify themselves as nationalists and patriots are appalled by what Vladimir Putin has done because they already see clearly the damages arising from his policy. […]
Lenta.ru, one of Russia’s most prominent independent news outlets, has had their editor removed after they published an interview with the leader of Ukraine’s ultra-nationalist Right Sector, Dmytro Yarosh. Lenta was first warned by the Russian regulatory commission that they could face penalties, and then their editor was fired. Slon, another independent media outlet, has […]
As Russian troops and Crimean self-defence forces take over Ukrainian military positions, and Russia increases its threats on the global stage, there are signs of deescalation today. Will a greater crisis be averted? Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast. Please help The […]
Staunton, March 20 – When Ramzan Kadyrov promised that Chechnya would help rebuild the economy of Crimea after its absorption into the Russian Federation this week, most observers concluded that he was just being his usual flamboyant self. But the truth is more complicated and potentially more disturbing. As journalist Andrey Pertsev points out on […]
Staunton, March 20 – Vladimir Putin may be seeking to restore a Russian empire, but his annexation of Crimea is destroying many of the things that had tied the former Soviet republics together and simultaneously allowed Moscow to be able to count on influence across that region and permitted outside analysts to speak of it […]
Staunton, March 19 – Not surprisingly, many in Russia and the West have focused on Vladimir Putin’s comments about Crimea, Russian military journalist Arkady Babchenko says. But most important words in the Kremlin leader’s remarks are his references to a “certain fifth column” and “various kinds of national traitors.” In a blog post on Ekho […]
Staunton, March 19 – In the past, “every country had its own map, each of which was more or less different,” a Georgian writer says, but with Marco Polo and Google, most came to accept a similar map of the world, one in which borders are clear and fixed. But Russians remain an exception. According […]
